the workers' union contract expires this weekend, and a white house spokesman said today the two sides need to agree on a contract extension as soon as possible. talks broke down last week in a dispute over wages and royalties. the christmas season storm that blasted the south and midwest swept across the upper northeast and new england today and the death count climbed to 16. the system dumped a foot or more of snow in parts of pennsylvania, upstate new york and new hampshire. in some places, snow brought road travel to a standstill. at the same time, operations at major airports improved, with far fewer delays than earlier this week. in india, the embattled prime minister remained under pressure to take action against sexual assaults after a gang rape this month triggered violent protests. manmohan singh promised a thorough review of india's rape laws and efforts to expedite trials. meanwhile, police moved to quell a rally by about 500 students protesting the treatment of women as they moved toward a monument in new delhi. the students complained officials had declared the site off l